Discuss about the Social Resources Promotes Adaptation.
It has often been observed that the survivors of a natural disaster show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Disaster is defined as a sudden environmental change that affects a large mass of people. While it is not illogical to understand why do they reflect these signs, there are deep rooted psychological aspects to these behaviors, which present interesting case for scholars. In most of these cases, the survivors also manage to recover from these signs of PTSD. Background self-efficacy is one of the most important behavioral traits that help individuals to recover from the shock they obtain from a sudden natural disaster. Disaster strikes suddenly and completely unexpectedly, which makes the shock from them even more compound and particularly horrifying to those who are directly affected by them (Herman, 2015). Lives, and often behavioral patterns, change radically after natural disasters and in most cases, mind sets changes irreversibly.
The factors that help the survivors to recover from the state of perpetual shock would be even more useful if in depth knowledge about those factors are gained, which would present handy insights regarding how to efficiently use those knowledge and factors to quicken up the recovery process. Self-efficacy is one such factor to help the survivors of natural disasters to recover quickly from their trauma (Hung, Wang & Yarnal, 2016). Self-efficacy is broadly defined as an individual’s ability, or perceived ability, which enables the person to achieve a desired outcome. Self-efficacy uses a person’s actively adaptive coping strategies to recover from stress reactions. This lets the person not to submit to the internal stress, and even if the trauma is set, self-efficacy makes sure that coming out of that condition will gradually happen.
Effectively adapting to traumatic situations or post-traumatic stress have many other components, which involve dynamic coping process as well as managing the original traumatic experience. Coping self-efficacy (CSE) refers to the perceived capability of an individual to manage both the internal and external demands which facilitate in the post-traumatic recovery. Positive self-efficacy is of paramount necessity in order to adapt to the traumatic experience, because it provides the individual with a sense of control over the entire situation boosting adaptive coping.
The initial response that individuals show during the traumatic event is referred to as Acute Stress Response (ASR), which is defined as the emotional, physical and dissociative reaction during a traumatic event. ASR has been observed to be highly predictive in terms of the ability to recover from PTSD, and although there are a number of factors which contribute to the predictability of ASR, the factors which play an active role in mediating the ASR and psychological distress are unknown still. CSE is one such potential mediator, which evidently play an effective role. Perceptions and insights about the CSE helps to provide intervention plans that are used to bring an individual out of the terrible zone of post-traumatic stress caused by natural disasters (Abramson et al. 2015).
CSE does not just help to recover from traumatic experiences due to natural disasters, but also helps individuals to cope with a myriad of other issues as well. Victims of childhood abuse, sexual abuse, terrorism attacks, physical injuries, natural calamity have all recognized CSE as one of the most important factor and tool to have helped them out of the traumatizing experience and lead a normal life once again. Despite these evidences, there have been very few studies which pertain to the correlation of natural disaster induced trauma and CSE, which make it difficult to comprehend the relationship between the two, let alone drawing concrete conclusions. CSE has shown to be a huge mediator between three factors of recovery process (optimistic lookout, social support and lost resources) and a deep rooted psychological distress. CSE is negatively correlated to distress level. Higher levels of coping self-efficacy among disaster survivors have shown results that have better post-traumatic recovery rates. The relationship between CSE and post-traumatic stress reaction wears off over time: it has been observed to be much higher 3 to 6 months after the disaster than rates reflected three years after the occurrence of the disaster. But these initial times are crucial jump start the recovery process.
Traumatic experiences alter otherwise normal behavioral and psychological traits. Studies have shown that exposure to traumatic events can also alter neuroticism traits as well. This result may yield results that can show that self-efficacy itself can change after being exposed to traumatic situations and may be inversely related to experiences of natural disaster. A high level of CSE in a post-disaster situation may act as a projection for a lower level of exposure to disaster. This means an already existing CSE may not always play a role in the recovery process from a distressed situation, rather, it may be the fact that the distress level is low itself in the first place.
Higher the level of CSE, the lower are the levels of post-traumatic stress reactions. This means that PTSD shocks are easier to cope with if the CSE levels are high for an individual. A person with a high CSE will find it easier to come out of a post-traumatic stressful situation. People use methods and ways to obtain, maintain and protect the resources that help them to cope with post-disaster stress in a successful manner. Personality characteristics are the most visible and important thing that helps individuals who have been exposed to traumatic disasters to cope with the sudden shock and psychological stress that they are faced with.
Exposure to natural disaster drastically alters the behavioral traits of humans. They experience sudden and radical mood changes after a natural shock. Self-coping efficacy is quite possible the only thing that can bring them back to a normal behavioral patter because it is their own perceptions about their own capabilities to overcome the trauma. If a person cannot fathom the idea that she or he can overcome the stress they experience, no one else can make them feel that way either. The level of distress can be directly or indirectly influenced by moderating the links between stress and potential psychopathology. Personality characteristics such as optimism, perceived self control, self-esteem all provide with the required personality traits that are needed to influence the stress levels and reverse the damages done by natural disasters.
Self-efficacy highlights on the belief of an individual regarding his or her ability to overcome any stressful situation. However, an individual will be motivated through self-efficacy. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is the mental health issue that affects the mind of the people. In order to recover the effect PTSD that is occurred due to the natural disaster, self-efficacy is the best way for the individuals. According to the statistical data approx, 2 million people have been affected by the natural disaster in every year, which leads them to face mental stress due to loss of financial and other resources. CSE or coping self-efficacy allows the people to recover the effect of PTSD (Dahlgren et al., 2017).
Disaster victims often face PTSD due to the loss of resources and such losses are often immediate. According to the Social Cognitive Theory or SCT that human being is self-reflective in nature and involve in a self-evaluating method to achieve their desired pursuits in terms of recovery of the resources that are lost due to the natural disaster (Tandfonline.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au, 2017). It has been received that Self-evaluation of the individuals arises from the coping abilities that influence psychological distress occurs from the disaster. However, loss of the resources leaves a negative impact on the perception of CSE. Hence, losses related to the natural disaster develops a pressure that leads the human being to show coping responses. Such coping responses are the part of self-efficacy that reduces the effects of such losses. According to the Conservation Of Resources or COR theory generally, the coping behavior of the individuals occur after such type of severe loss in the natural disaster. Global self-efficacy reduces the psychological distress or PTSD.
Low CSE is associated with the greater PTSD symptoms that occur from the natural disaster. However, CSE is crucial to tackle the emotion of the individuals. On the other hand, trauma-specific CSE is directly associated with the coping need during the psychological stress. Self-esteem enables the individuals to gain confidence; as a result, they are able to accept the loss. This will be effective to recover the psychological stress or PTSD. In the August 1999 earthquake occurs in Marmara that destroys many lives approx 18,000 people died in this disaster and the survivors were facing PTSD due to the severity of such disaster (Onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au, 2017). Hence, COR theory is helpful for this condition to understand the coping behavior of the people in this particular situation. How to coping the stress can be identified by COR model. Application of the COR model enables the people to motivated that leads them to protect, retain and valued socially. Therefore, they congruent the resources and achieve success by coping with the psychological stress. Self-efficacy enables the people to reduce the effect of loss and to maximize their resources under the critical environment. However, self-esteem and personal control help the individuals to cope with the stress by enhancing their confidence level. Therefore, through moderating the connection between the psychopathology and the stress PTSD can be reduced. Hence, it has been received that self-efficacy is a vital approach to minimize the effect of PTSD that usually occurs due to a natural disaster.
Natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions are uncontrollable, sudden and unpredictable. An individual with high self-esteem can much better cope with stress than a person who does not possess those qualities. Individuals with low self-control and self-esteem are prone to many psychological problems after experiencing natural disasters, depression being the most observed emotion observed in individuals who have experienced trauma (Ferreira & Figley, 2015). Natural disasters cause a number of problems to humans, including loss of property, money, loss in the sense of a community and a massive loss of resources. These losses, in a combined and cumulative way, impacts humans in a significant way which causes them to experience post-traumatic stress. Even human induced calamity, like the Chernobyl disaster or the Bhopal gas leak in India, can have lasting and significant psychological impact on human behavior and mentality. The bigger issue with these human created disasters are that they adversely affect the environment, which in turn, may result in natural disasters themselves, making the whole process a cyclical pattern and a chain reaction is induced. Traumatic CSE is significantly and negatively related to worry and depression. Affirmation is one of the best ways to enhance self-efficacy. People with levels of personal resources show higher levels of CSE, which help to keep the distress levels at a lower range. Optimism and self-esteem are the two most important tenets of CSE, which mediates the links between general distress and personal resources. However, perceiving g a high threat level during the times of a disaster can make individuals vulnerable to thinking in an intrusive way and enhances the levels of general distress. But these aspects apparently do not have any effects on CSE.
Self-efficacy can be the most important reason behind both developing a distressed mindset when exposed to a traumatic situation, as well as helping individuals, who have been suffering from post-traumatic distress, to come out of it. Optimism, self-control and self-esteem are the most influential in this aspect of recovery. Interestingly, it has been seen that individuals with a low level of CSE have intrusive thoughts even in situations with low threat levels (Paton & Johnston, 2017). Humans keep continuously re-evaluating their abilities to cope with traumatic situations. Individuals who have a high level of CSE always try to turn situations with high threat levels into something more manageable. Their own self-esteem prompts them to take actions, which they think they can handle more efficiently. In a way, CSE does not only help individuals to cope with distress and natural disaster induced trauma, but it also helps them to take necessary actions that reduce the impact of the environmental disasters in the first place. These steps help to be more mentally prepared even if there is a natural disaster.
References
Abramson, D. M., Grattan, L. M., Mayer, B., Colten, C. E., Arosemena, F. A., Bedimo-Rung, A., & Lichtveld, M. (2015). The resilience activation framework: a conceptual model of how access to social resources promotes adaptation and rapid recovery in post-disaster settings. The journal of behavioral health services & research, 42(1), 42-57.
Dahlgren, M. K., Laifer, L. M., VanElzakker, M. B., Offringa, R., Hughes, K. C., Staples-Bradley, L. K., … & Pitman, R. K. (2017). Diminished medial prefrontal cortex activation during the recollection of stressful events is an acquired characteristic of PTSD. Psychological Medicine, 1-13.
Ferreira, R. J., & Figley, C. R. (2015). Longer-term mental health needs of disaster survivors. In Handbook of public health in natural disasters: Nutrition, food, remediation and preparation (pp. 215-229). Wageningen Academic Publishers.
Herman, J. L. (2015). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence–from domestic abuse to political terror. Hachette UK.
Hung, L. S., Wang, C., & Yarnal, B. (2016). Vulnerability of families and households to natural hazards: A case study of storm surge flooding in Sarasota County, Florida. Applied geography, 76, 184-197.
Onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au. (2017). Personal Resources, Coping Self-Efficacy, and QuakeExposure as Predictors of Psychological DistressFollowing the 1999 Earthquake in Turkey. Retrieved 10 October 2017, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/doi/10.1002/jts.20032/epdf
Paton, D., & Johnston, D. (2017). Disaster resilience: an integrated approach. Charles C Thomas Publisher.
Tandfonline.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au. (2017). Conservation of resources and coping self-efficacy predicting distress following a natural disaster: A causal model analysis where the environment meets the mind. Retrieved 10 October 2017, from https://www.tandfonline.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1080/10615809908248325?needAccess=true&
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